The Fire that sparked more than just flames
by Jess-loves-ncis
Summary: A fire might ruin a few of Tony's belongings, but a night spent with Ziva can replace all that is lost. As suggestive as that sounds, slight romance, no more. Tiva.


_A little something I came up with, please review so I can improve!_

_I do not own anything NCIS, as you already know._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>Tony walked into work that day, humming some made up tune to himself as he looked around the office.<p>

"Hello Tony" Ziva said, the two exchanging a quick glance.

"Hello Ziva" Tony said with a smile, as he sat down in his desk.

*Beep beep* Tony flipped open his phone , putting it cautiously to his ear, a quizzical look on his face because of the number calling him.

"Hello?" Tony was confused as to why Lucy had called him, remembering that he had given her his number when she moved in, she had escaped a bad relationship at the time, and Lucy feared for her safety. He remembered seeing her in tears in the hallway one day before he left for work and after he calmed her down that day they had become friends.

"Hi, um... Tony? I have some bad news…"

Tony shut his phone frustratingly, running towards the elevator.

"Where are you going Tony?" Ziva called after him.

"Long story short, my apartment is on fire." Tony called out,running his fingers through his hair while pressing the elevator button.

Ziva looked around the office. Then got up and walked to the elevator. She got to her car and quickly followed after Tony. Tony looked in his rear view mirror. _So she's coming too?_ he thought to himself, the situation he was in wasn't exactly going to be fun, having someone like Ziva there might help. He sighed heavily as he got out of his car, frowning at the sight of the fire engine parked close by, and started a light jog to the door. When he got to the door he held it open for Ziva, and they took the elevator together.

The two ran towards Tony's apartment in unison, the heavy footsteps echoed through the hallways, the sound of talking and the smell of smoke hung in the air. They got to the door, Lucy standing there with an almost apologetic look in her eyes, as smoke curled around her from inside. Tony ran into his apartment, but was pushed out quickly by a fireman.

"Sir, I'm afraid that you can't come in right now, we are trying to find any other flames, I'm sure you don't want the other half of your apartment burnt down too."

"Half of my apartment? Wow…how bad is the damage?" Tony said, trying to look past the fireman and into the apartment.

"We were able to contain the flames in the kitchen and some parts of your lounge room,"

"Will I still be able to sleep here tonight?"

"Not until the smoke settles, and even after that, this place won't be very liveable without a kitchen."

"Oh... thank you anyway" Tony said, turning desperately towards Ziva.

"Can I stay the night?" he said, and Ziva knew she couldn't refuse those puppy dog eyes, so she nodded.

Tony went into his apartment and got his duffle bag, quickly getting some clothes and heading towards the bathroom, holding the bag awkwardly as he tried to stuff a t-shirt properly into the bag. He threw in some deodorant and a toothbrush. Tony then headed out and locked the door behind him as Ziva waited outside of the apartment.

The duo drove back to work in Ziva's car and quickly rushed to get to the bullpen.

"Where have you two been? Gibbs is so mad." Mcgee said, standing up and away from his desk.

There was silence, and suddenly Mcgee realised something.

"He's right behind me isn't he?" Mcgee asked the two, right before Gibbs walked up to Tony and Ziva.

"You're right Mcgee." Gibbs said, walking straight past Mcgee and in front of Tony and Ziva.

"Next time you two go off together, think about informing me first."

Gibbs stepped behind them and head slapped Tony and Ziva.

"Ow!" Tony said, putting a hand to the back of his head, wincing.

"Boss, there was a fire at my house and I had to leave"

"And I followed him. I know I should not have left, but-"

"No excuses. You always come to me first. Now get to work." Gibbs said, pointing towards a huge pile of paper work on her desk.

"Finish that."

The two sighed, walking towards the paper work, Tony took half the pile and dropped it onto his own desk and got to work.

At the end of the day, after the bullpen was almost empty, Tony and Ziva left work. "Hey Zi, how about we go to that nice Italian restaurant around the corner, my treat." He said, smiling softly.

"Sure, why not."

Tony winked at Ziva, as the elevator door closed.

Ziva pulled up to the curb, looking towards the restaurant as they got out of the car. Tony and Ziva quickly walked into the restaurant, escaping the cold. Tony took off Ziva's coat, and then his own. They found a small booth on the back wall and they sat across from each other. Tony rested his head on the cushioned red leather chair and closed his eyes for a few seconds.

"Is everything okay Tony?" Ziva said, reaching out and grabbing a menu and opening the first page.

"I'm fine Ziva, just, I don't know. I'm frustrated. "

Tony and Ziva were interrupted by the waiter.

"May I take your order?"

Tony opened the menu. All the dishes were familiar for him. His mother had cooked most of these meals when he was younger. Margherita pizza, Spaghetti Bolognaise, Minestrone soup etc.

"I would like the Spaghetti." Tony said, the waiter soon scribbled it down on his notepad.

"I will have the Cannelloni." Ziva said, smiling towards the waiter.

"Anything else? Drinks, Desserts?"

"Oh, and a bottle of red wine please." The waiter wrote that down as well, and then walked across the dining area towards another table.

The two stayed silent for a while.

"I really hope you don't mind me staying at your house tonight, I mean, if it's any trouble I can-"

"Tony, it is no trouble at all. I do not mind having company over every once in a while."

"Thanks Ziva" Tony said, an apologetic smile following shortly after.

The waiter came towards the booth with a bottle of wine, and two glasses. He proceeded to pour its contents into the glasses, and Tony thanked him before the man went off again. "To friends."Tony said, holding his glass up next to Ziva's. "To friends." Ziva said also. The glasses clinked together and they both took a sip of wine.

The waiter approached the booth again, this time a huge platter accompanied with him. He placed Tony's meal in front of him, and then Ziva's. Once he was gone, the two ate silently. Tony kept catching Ziva staring at him, and every time he caught her out she would blush. Ziva looked up at Tony, then at his plate. As he wasn't watching, she quickly twirled her fork in the spaghetti and ate it. Tony acted like he didn't see her take his food, and squinted out the window, pretending to be concentrating on something outside. Ziva looked too, turning around in her seat to look outside. Tony quickly halved one of the cannelloni's on her plate and ate it. She turned around and giggled, and her eyes locked with Tony's for a few seconds longer than usual. After they had both finished eating, Tony payed for their dinner and the Tony and Ziva put their coats back on and left.

As the car arrived at Ziva's apartment, Tony and Ziva turned to each other.

"Thank you Ziva. If it weren't for you, I'd be the sad loner drinking at a motel bar."

"Tony, you are not a loner."

"Sometimes I feel like I am, like no one really stays around long enough to get to know me."

"I have."

"What?" Tony blinked, wondering if what he heard was true. _Ziva being compassionate?_ Gee, it had been a while since she had shown she cared, even if Tony knew she always had.

"I have stayed around long enough to get to know you Tony."

Tony thought back to his childhood, his mother hadn't purposely left him and his father, but she had gone. Then Tony's father tried to fill the void, not really spending much time with him. Tony would sit alone in his room playing with his toy cars, thinking of his parents.

Tony looked towards Ziva, searching. He reached out and held Ziva's hand gently, and she smiled in response. A few seconds past and Tony noticed what he was doing and quickly snapped out of it. _Too soon_. He thought to himself.

"We should go inside" Tony said, avoiding Ziva's gaze. He might have ruined everything. He knew he loved Ziva, he always had known. But it was the fear of Ziva not loving him back that stopped him. There had been flirting, boy was there flirting. But sometimes he wondered. In those eyes of hers he saw a sad and dark past that Ziva held in her mind.

The silence was broken when Tony opened his door, and so did Ziva. The two of them proceeded to enter the doors of Ziva's apartment complex. They took the elevator side by side, but not a word was spoken. Ziva opened the door to her apartment, and then she dropped her keys at the small table to the left of her doorway.

"New furniture huh?" Tony said, breaking the silence.

"Yes, I bought a new lounge suite, but those vases over there are gifts from Ducky." Ziva said, pointing towards two shelves that sat on each side of her TV.

"They're beautiful" Tony said, tracing the intricate designs of flowers on the tall vases.

"They were his mother's, but he knew I had always admired them."

"Would you like to watch a movie Tony?" Ziva asked, opening the draws under her coffee table, revealing her small collection of movies.

"Okay, but only if I get to choose the movie." Tony said, laughing as he peered into the draw, flipping through each DVD.

He quickly pulled out The Godfather, a classic in his eyes.

"Hey Zi, I'll give you an offer you can't refuse" He said, a sly smile across his face as he held the DVD up near his face.

"Okay, you can go ahead and turn it on; I will make us some coffee."

Once Ziva had left and gone to the kitchen, Tony snapped open the case and turned on the movie, waiting for the menu. He looked back into the draw of DVDs. _Since when did Ziva have a good taste in movies? _Tony looked around, and then sat down with the remote in his hand, waiting for Ziva to bring the coffee. He heard the kettle boil, and then the sound of drawers opening and closing, clinking of spoons, the usual sounds that awakened his ears early each morning in his own apartment. The apartment he would be in right now if it wasn't for the fire. But he somehow classified it as good luck, as much as he hated the fact that getting his kitchen fixed would cost a fortune.

The DVD menu screen came up, but Tony waited for Ziva to come back before he started the movie. She entered the lounge room, giving Tony his coffee and turning off the lights. Tony admired her silhouette as she sat closely next to Tony. He had seen her in darkness so many times before, in the bullpen late at night, in Paris, in that shipping container. He had almost decided he could identify her silhouette a mile away, he had become used to the way she walked, the way she held her gun, the way she did everything just like a ninja. Tony squinted at the coffee mug, which had a cat on it with a curled tail in the shape of a heart. "Gee Ziva, I didn't know you were a cat person."

"I am not, I got this as an apartment warming present from my aunt."

"Oh, she doesn't have good taste does she?"

"This is not the worst thing she has ever gifted to me."

"More cat related items?"

"Worse." Ziva said as she rested her head upon Tony's shoulder, laughing as he played the movie.


End file.
